JUNE 4 – A NEW THING

 So, if someone is to have a part in Jesus Christ, he must become a new creation. The old ways; the old parts – they all die. Listen – everything will be made new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

                   Old stuff is sticky. Habits, speech, attitudes – everything about a person (and the groups of people who spend time together with them) makes that person or group become who they are. These actions frame the character of the people, and they define the culture of the community around them. To change and re-orient character and culture requires new habits, new ways, and new attitudes. What are you doing to introduce the birth of the new to your people?

                   Paul is saying to these people, and to you, this is not a simple, easy evolution God requires. There are parts of you, and each of your people that must die. Everything that goes forward will be new. That means change – both large -scale and small. Some people and some relationships won’t survive those deaths and become part of your peoples’ new life together. There will be cost where there is truly a change to a new thing. All this change will take courage.

                   Ask the Lord to show you the things that must die. Ask Him to give you courage to replace all the old things that must die with His new things.